Improved railroad-switch



PATENT OFFICE.-

THOMAS B. PURVES, OF GREENBUSH, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED RAI LROAD-SWITCH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,770, dated May 15, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs B. PUEvEs, of the village of Greenbush, Rensselaer county, State of New York, have invented a new and useful portable switch for the purpose ot' replacing cars upon the track of railroads that may have been run oft' of them; and I declare the following specification, with the drawings forming part thereof, to be afull and complete description ot' my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad-track with my switch attached. Fig. 2 is a prolile of a rail with the switch attached. Fig. 3 is a cross-section ofthe rail and switch in the line of o: y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rail with switch attached.

A is the permanent rail, lying upon B, the sleepers.

The switch consists of a bar ot'iron, a. b o, of the width ot' the rail, from b to c high enough to carry the flange of a car-wheel clear of the rail, and from b to a sloping down to the rail. The part b o has projecting from its sides and extending downward on each side'of the rail lugs d, through which set-screws e work to secure the switch to the rail. From c to g a switch-bar extends in cross-section, similar to b o, and from oto f aligns horizontally with it. From f to g-the bar inclines downward, so that its foot gis on a level with the bottom of the rail A. At o this bar is hinged to a o, so as to have a horizontal movement to the right and left hand, to meet the position of any untracked car. The position of this hinge is important.

Switches have been made with hinged lim bs for the purpose of adjusting them at variable angles to meet the position of the wheels of the car to be retracted, and the hinge has been placed for that 4purpose on one side ot' the switch-bar in order to permit the inclined limb What is peculiar in my Inode ot construction is the making of that part of the switchbar from o to f align with b o, and then commencing the downward slope from f to g instead of at the hinge. This permits the pivoting of the bar over the center of the rail A, and gives the ability to shift the switch to either side of the rail, since the sloping part is carried clear of the rail by the horizontal position and projection of c f, as shown in the drawings. The consequence of this arrangement is that one pair of switch-bars will meet any contingencyin the position of' cars oft' the track.

The mode of' using this switch is somanifest from the above description and the drawings as to require no special description.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The construction ot' a portable switch for the purpose ot placing cars upon a railroad track by thecombination of the bar a Z o, secured, as described, to the rail, with a movable limb, c f g, formed as shown, and hinged or pivted to it over the center of the rail, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth in this specification.

THOMAS B. PURVES. 

